AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas Legislature is reimbursing a North Texas county for costs incurred during the trial of a man who killed “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and his friend.
The House on Thursday agreed to pay Erath County $500,000 for the high-profile trial of Eddie Ray Routh, convicted in February of murder for the 2013 double-slaying.
The expenditure was one of several tweaks the Senate made to a $300 million state budget that covers immediate costs. The measure now heads to the governor.
Also included now is $4.7 million for the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Economic Geology.
Earlier this month, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Johnson County marked the strongest quake ever detected in North Texas.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. John Otto said the funding “could not wait.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.